Ambivalence
by paastelpetals
Summary: [Set during & after 2x22.] Ambivalent. That was how she would describe her relationship with Daniel. There were times when she thought she might have been truly developing genuine feelings for him, and there were times when all she wanted from him was the excuse to get close to his family. She never thought she'd actually grow to love him. Loosely follows the show. May be OOC.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Some of you may remember this story, others might not, but I used to have this story up and published about a year ago. I deleted it after some months because of complications and lack of creativity, but here it is again! This is only the first chapter, so it's relatively short. The chapters will get longer in the future, I swear. This takes place during and after the events of 2x22.**

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"Jack? Jack!" Emily shouted in despair as she made her way through the burning building. She had been searching inside for only a few minutes and, already, she felt like she was going to faint. "Jack!" she cried out, her shouts growing more desperate.

She whipped around, blonde tresses flying, when she heard a familiar groan in the opposite direction. "Jack!" she called out as she surged forward. She struggled to pull heavy, charred desks and cabinets off from who she initially thought was to be Jack, but found to be Declan.

Emily's eyes widened when she found Declan lying there. She picked him up in her arms and attempted the hard task of carrying him out of the building, but it was difficult since Declan was taller and weighed more than she did. "Help!" she cried out several times for assistance, trying not to inhale too much smoke. Several seconds after, a fireman came in and before he could say anything, Emily handed over Declan. "Take him to safety!" she shouted over the commotion outside and the sound of crackling flames.

"Ma'am―"

"No! Take him _out_ of here!"

Without another word, the fireman quickly and carefully maneuvered himself and Declan out of the building.

Emily, meanwhile, felt like fainting. She tried to find the way out, and when she did, she found that it was blocked with a part of the collapsed roof. She tried everything to get out― from attempting to crawl under the rubble to pushing it aside to climbing up and over it. Nothing worked, however. As time passed, she inhaled more smoke and her vision was blurring, her mind growing hazy. She collapsed on the floor and stared at the black walls and bright red flames, embers flying down. She felt herself fading slowly.

"So this is it," she croaked out, and gave a wicked, defeated laugh. "After everything I've done to get my revenge, I end up dying in a burning building. This is the way it ends?" She laughed again and closed her eyes, squeezing them in pain. The back of her head throbbed. The smoke gave her a headache. She sighed and waited for the darkness to overcome her as she saw the roof giving way.

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"Damn it!" Daniel yelled out as he heard his fiancee's usual voice mail for what could be the hundredth time. He wasn't keeping count.

As he dialed her number again, he saw a fireman bring Declan Porter out of the building. He ignored it and focused on calling Emily again until he heard several firemen talking among themselves.

"...young woman, about late twenties, brown eyes and curly blonde hair. She's still trapped in―" He didn't get to finish his statement, for Daniel had walked up.

"That's my fiancee! What are you doing out here when you can be up there, saving her?" he demanded, eyes hard and cold.

"My apologies sir, but the roof has collapsed. I'm afraid that there's not much we can do."

"Bullshit!" he yelled out, causing several civilians to turn his way. "If you don't go in there, then_ I _will."

He then took off towards the building that was no longer burning, only charred black.

"Sir! Sir, I need you to come back here, it's unsafe in the building!" the fireman yelled out.

"I don't give a _crap_ if it's unsafe!" he yelled over his shoulder, not turning around.

As he entered the building, he took off his suit jacket and used it to cover his nose and mouth to help him from inhaling smoke. He maneuvered himself around fallen objects, pushing aside the ones he couldn't step over. Daniel searched frantically, quickly yet thoroughly. It had been only five minutes, but felt like forever until he spotted sooty blonde tresses. "Emily!" he yelled, running forward with renewed energy. He pushed the section of the roof off from her body, struggling slightly at first, and shoved it aside. He cradled her head in his hands and tried to find a pulse. He exhaled in relief when he felt the faintest of pulses. He wrapped his suit jacket around her thin, curvy frame and carried the love of his life outside of the ruined building and straight to the hospital.

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**Leave reviews please! Pretty please.**


	2. Chapter 2

When Emily came to, she noticed two things. One, her head felt like absolute _hell. _Two, Daniel was asleep in the cot next to her bed while holding her hand in his. By the looks of it, he's been there ever since he brought her to the hospital. Emily studied his facial features while he was sleeping and noticed that he looked younger when he slept, somehow less stressed and absolutely at peace.

In attempt to wake him up since her voice failed her at the moment, she squeezed his hand. Almost immediately, Daniel woke up.

"Emily, you're finally awake," he said. That was when she noticed his red, bloodshot eyes and the bags under them. He looked exhausted. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she replied nonchalantly. "How long have I been here?" she asked, noticing that he was still in the same suit from the day of the explosion.

"Only two days. The doctor said that if you felt fine when you woke up then you could be discharged immediately, but you're going to have to be put on bed rest. So are you _sure _you feel fine?"

There it was. She felt a pang in her body whenever Daniel was especially caring and loving towards her. She couldn't describe what the pang was. Guilt? Most likely. Emily rubbed her thumb in soothing circles on the back of his hand and nodded, faking affection for him. She had been disgusted with him ever since the end of their last engagement, when he'd initially started to voluntarily turn from the golden boy to a pawn in Victoria and Conrad's game. But lately, she'd been feeling her disgust ebbing away.

"I have a bit of a headache, but it's nothing an aspirin can't handle. I think I'm ready to go back home."

"No, you're going to be staying with me until you recover fully."

"Are you sure? I don't want to feel like I'm intruding."

"You won't be. You're practically family already. Charlotte adores you."

"It's not her I'm worried about," she replies, a small smile tilting her lips upwards. "I think your father's warming up to me, but your mother has a personal vendetta against me. She's a whole different story."

"Don't worry about my mother. I'll try to keep her from causing trouble with you. As for my father.." he paused, pursing his lips and looking down at the hospital floors. "He's currently in the hospital."

"He's here to visit?" she asked, confusion written all over her face.

"No. He was shot in the stomach the same day as the bombing. He's in the intensive care unit."

"Oh, Daniel," she whispered. "How are you holding up?"

"I'll be alright," he says after a moment of silence. He raised their interlocked hands and pressed a kiss on her knuckle. "I love you. Let's go get you discharged."

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A half hour later, she finds herself sitting down on Daniel's bed, on top of the king-sized mattress and tucked in his cashmere comforter. The large glass windows offered her a view of the scenery outside; she could already see the initial signs of autumn. The trees were fading into browns, reds, oranges, and yellows. The weather was steadily growing cold. As of current, it was raining lightly; the little droplets of water sliding down the glass.

Daniel appeared at the door with a bottle of cold water and two aspirins in his hand. He walked forward and set them down into her hands. "Here you go," he says.

"Thank you," she tells him before popping the pills into her mouth and chasing them down with water. Her head turns to the door when she sees two maids carrying her luggage and bags into the room. "Daniel? I thought I was just staying here until I make a full recovery. That," she said, gesturing with her head towards her things that were just brought in, "is practically my whole closet."

"Well, it's time you moved in, don't you think?" Daniel shot her a mischievous smile and took a seat at the foot of his bed. Emily cursed silently. She would have to find a new home for her infinity box. Perhaps Nolan could keep it safe. She'd have to ask him later. And she still needed an update on behalf of Declan's wellbeing.

"It's about time you asked."

He laughed and moved backwards, opting to sit next to her instead of sitting on the edge of the bed. He placed his hand behind her head as she turned to face him. He captured her lips in his, keeping the kiss chaste and sweet before pulling away.

"Welcome back from the hospital, Emily," Charlotte said as she opened the door and walked forward to give the older woman a hug. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Thank you, Charlotte," she replied as they pulled away.

"Do you need help unpacking?" the younger Grayson asked.

"It's no worry, Charlotte. I can help her," Daniel told his little sister before Emily could politely decline.

"Why? So you can see her lingerie?" Charlotte taunted playfully. "You're disgusting."

"Nothing I haven't already seen," Daniel replies cheekily, a smirk on his face.

Emily clears her throat. "_Okay,_" she interrupted, heat creeping up her neck and onto her cheeks. "Thank you for offering, both of you, but I'll be fine unpacking on my own." She got up onto her feet and walked toward her luggage, unzipping it and trying to look for her phone.

"Alright then. I'll be visiting Declan at the hospital," Charlotte declared. Just as she turned around, Emily asked her a question.

"How's Declan doing? I heard he got stuck in the building, same as I did," she says, feigning ignorance. She had already known the cause of the younger Porter brother's hospitalization.

"He's pulling through. He should be home already, I think. I better get going. See you two later." And with that, the brunette flew out of the room.

"I'll leave you to unpack," Daniel said as he got up from his seat and walked forward to press a firm kiss on her cheek before walking over to the door. "Call me if you need help with anything."

She gave him a smile, which disappeared the moment he was out of her vision. She turned around and fished her phone out from the side of the bag. She sent a quick text to Nolan before beginning to unpack her clothes, makeup, and toiletries. Daniel had provided for her a whole empty closet, which was more than enough room for her clothes and shoes, and a vanity table, complete with a padded stool, table mirror, and vanity lights.

'_Moved in with Daniel. Need you to get the infinity box from my house and keep it in yours.'_

A few minutes later, she received a reply.

'_Good luck with Danny boy. I'm heading over to your house right now to get your infinity box. By the way, Jack's incarcerated for shooting Conrad. Declan's staying at casa de Nolan.'_

Emily stopped in her tracks. Did she just read that correctly? She looks over the words three more times before realizing that her eyes were not deceiving her. She sighed. She knew Jack was angry at Conrad and that he blamed the older man for everything that went wrong in his life..

But she never expected him to go as far as trying to assassinate Conrad Grayson.

_You couldn't of had done anything to stop him._

That was what she kept on reminding herself as she continued to unpack.

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**Thank you to my reviewers and those who added this story to their favorites or followed. Please leave a review!**


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